You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery;'
but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.
If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.
If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.
'It was also said, 'Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce,'
but I tell you that whoever puts away his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries her when she is put away commits adultery.
'Again you have heard that it was said to them of old time, 'You shall not make false vows, but shall perform to the Lord your vows,'
but I tell you, don't swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;
nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
Neither shall you swear by your head, for you can't make one hair white or black.
But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No' be 'No.' Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.
'You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'*
But I tell you, don't resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.
If anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also.
Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.
Give to him who asks you, and don't turn away him who desires to borrow from you.
'You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor,* and hate your enemy.*'
But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,
that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven.

St. Matthew (meaning "gift of God") was identified as a tax collector (Matthew 9:9; 10:3) and was of Jewish race. In the other accounts of his meeting with Jesus (Mark 2:13, 14; Luke 5:27-29), he is called Levi. This use of two different names has led some scholars to argue for two different persons, due to the absence of Levi from the apostolic lists. Others, however, have argued that Matthew had a double name, because the Jews frequently carried two names - such as Simon/Peter and Saul/Paul. When he was called by Jesus (Matthew 9:9), Matthew renounced the position of tax collector and became His disciple. According to Christian tradition, after Pentecost Matthew, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached the gospel in many places, especially to the Jews.

The Gospel of Matthew, though it has come down to us in Greek, has a Jewish/Hebraic flavour, which is evident in its Aramaic expressions and forms, and its use of numerous quotations and arguments from the Old Testament. Furthermore, Matthew gives details of Jewish religious observations, and often uses Jewish style and techniques of argument. God's final judgement, pictured in apocalyptic images common in Jewish writings, is also emphasized. Papias, a second-century Christian author, preserves the tradition that Matthew wrote the sayings of Christ in Aramaic, the common language of the Jews at the time of Christ, and that others later freely translated this work into Greek.

Though the Gospel does not name Matthew as the author, all the early manuscripts attribute authorship to Matthew, one of the twelve disciples listed in the New Testament. His authorship is attested by the universal witness of the ancient Church.

Matthew's usual emblem as an evangelist is a man, because his genealogy emphasized the family ties of Christ. He is commemorated in the Orthodox Church on November 29.